Mitigation Best Practices

CHARLESTON, WV - Many West Virginia homeowners and businesses took steps after floods to make their property more secure from flood damage. Some of those efforts were tested in the latest floods and landslides that began Memorial Day weekend 2004. It isn’t only individuals and businesses that can make property more resistant to floods. Local and State governments also can take mitigation action.

PENSACOLA, FL – Pensacola was hit hard after Hurricane Ivan barreled down on the Gulf Coast in September 2004 when the storm knocked out Sacred Heart Hospital’s electricity.

The hospital was forced to rely on emergency generators, but their capacity was not sufficient to supply the entire building with air conditioning. The hospital remained functional but at reduced capacity.

ALLEGANY COUNTY, NY – A mitigation project to protect a water supply pipe in Allegany County has likely paid for itself at least three times since it was completed.

Severe storms and flooding in the spring of 2000 caused the rupture of a water main that crosses under Houghton Creek in the Town of Caneadea. The main carries water from the town’s filtration plant to its water tower, supplying Houghton College and town residents.

The President approved the use of federal disaster funds to help New York recover from the effects of the storms.

CAMRBIA, WI - Cambria, population 792, is one of many pleasant spots in the middle of Wisconsin corn country, about 33 miles north of Madison. It is quiet, clean, and well managed by experienced and energetic individuals. And, although no sign announces it, it is recognized by many in and around Cambria as the lima bean capital of the world. However, flooding is a common occurrence in Cambria’s history, as it is in many Wisconsin towns.

PARK COUNTY, MT- Park County experienced a record flood on the Yellowstone River in June 1996. The river maintained a very high flow for over a week, causing massive bank erosion and floods in a number of houses.

In June 1997, the Yellostone River produced another record flood. More bank erosion occured, and the same houses were flooded again. Both floods were on par with the 100- year, one percent frequency flood.

RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN – Although public awareness of disasters is heightened in certain months of the year, there is never a wrong time to prepare for disasters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides several publications that inform families how to prepare for disasters and rebuild after they strike. The Hazard Mitigation branch of FEMA promotes efforts and techniques to reduce the loss of life and property in natural disasters.

LOS ALAMOS, NM - When John and Cindia Hogan bought their home in 1994, they did so knowing that a major wildfire might occur in the Santa Fe National Forest that backs up to their property. John Hogan, a physical scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and a trained, experienced firefighter, began taking steps to mitigate their home in 1996.

In 1996, John Hogan contracted to have a metal roof put on their two-story, wood frame

BOULDER, CO – A stone wall and a little extra elevation saved Mark Schueneman’s home along Left Hand Creek during the September 2013 floods. Schueneman’s house was surrounded by damaged residences in Boulder County, one of the hardest hit areas.

The home was spared because Schueneman opted to elevate his home as he was advised by the Boulder County Emergency Manager.

Given his proximity to the floodplain, he was advised to build an additional two feet of freeboard above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) to reduce his risk of flooding.

BRACKEN COUNTY, KY – For motorists negotiating a narrow section of Old Highway 19 along Little Turtle Creek in Bracken County, Kentucky, the trip will be a lot safer now that the road bank along the creek has been reinforced.

The safer road is the result of a Federal/Commonwealth Public Assistance program that provides extra funding to protect against future damage to public infrastructure, like the section of roadway that runs just above Little Turtle Creek.

ALBANY, NY – Perennial flood damage to a section of Washout Road in the Town of Glenville, located in Schenectady County, has been overcome thanks to a federal-state policy goal that provides extra funding to mitigate against future damages to public infrastructure.

Heavy and continuous rainfall in the spring and summer of 2000 scoured, eroded and washed away banks of the Washout Creek, in turn causing damage to the adjacent Washout Road - a common problem over the years.